Silhouette Greece/Europe Cruise: Why so cheap?!

[mykel67]

I read in the weekend newspaper travel section about great cruise fares on Celebrity Silhouette for August 10 and 17 (7 nights, departing from Venice), and sure enough a veranda cabin can be had for under $900 Canadian per person!

 

I've placed a 24 hour hold on a cabin, but I'm just wondering why the heck it is so cheap. Is there some drawback to the itinerary or ship that I am unaware of? Or is it just the deal of the year???

[dwhe]

Prices for those cruises here in the UK for a Veranda are between £1000 and £1200 so I'd snap it up if I was you.

[pasto5]

We also have a 24 hour hold on a cabin but the airfare to get there is quite high. I have to wonder if that is the reason there are so many cabins available?

Not sure what we are going to do yet.

[mykel67]

I wondered if that might be a reason, but flights to Scandanavia, Russia, and South America are expensive too, and those cruise fares are at least double. I can find flights to VCE out of YYZ for under $1000, so that's not too bad.

 

Does anyone know how long these promo rates will be offered?

[Christine Frances]

One reason might be that a lot of people don't like booking Europe in August because that's a big month for family holidays over there (lots of kids). Also very hot in August.

 

 

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[mickeysgal]

Looks like these are guarantee balconies at $999.00 pp US. Not a bad price at all but many of the balconies can be obstructed view, if you can live with that this is a great price for this itinerary. Problem is you have to get there and air fare is high.

[Holly g]

Did you check the airfare through Celebrity? Usually much cheaper than doing it on your own. And yes, Greece is very hot in August.

[4cats4me]

I also have a hold on the 8/24 sailing on the Silhouette. Was wondering too why it was such a good deal. I forgot about Europe in August:eek:

On second thought.......

[Waihekean]

I suspect it is because the fares have been really high in the Med for the upcoming summer season.

 

Myself was looking at end January this year for a June or July cruise and was surprised to find that there was not one Celebrity cruise in my budget for anywhere in Europe. In the end booked with MSC and even then had to settle for an OV and only a 7 night cruise.

 

So, I think the promoted cruise is just undersold. If you have never been to Venice I say grab it, especially considering it might be one of the last times there will be still a sail in/out allowed in Venice.

 

If you do go, may I also suggest to spend at least 3 days in Venice. It is such a special place.

And yes it will be hot in August in the Med, but so will be it too in July or September.

[mykel67]

Thanks, those are good points to consider. I assumed it would be very hot, but I hadn't considered that there would be more families on board. I just had a look at the roll call for that sailing and there are indeed more children booked than I would have thought.

 

I just placed another 24 hour courtesy hold on a cabin (since my first one expired) to give me more time to think about it. In fact, the rate is so low that we may even book back-to-back trips as the ports of call are different.

 

Does anyone know how long this pricing might be in effect?

[MarkusToe]

to be very honest: it's hot at greece in summer, but not humid like Florida.

Thats the main difference....

Enjoy the sun over here.... :)

 

quick search on flights shows about 950 Can$ YYZ-VCE

but about 850 Can$ YYZ - FCO (Rome)

[swoonx]

Prices for those cruises here in the UK for a Veranda are between £1000 and £1200 so I'd snap it up if I was you.

In Germany it's 1069 EUR+ (=1660 CAD)

 

One reason might be that a lot of people don't like booking Europe in August because that's a big month for family holidays over there (lots of kids). Also very hot in August.

 

Yes, it's hot, but not tropical hot. It's high season in Europe and the prices are normally much higher. So the 900 CAD for a veranda cabin is a great deal. I would book it if I could. No, I would book both dates ;)

Edited March 19, 2014 by swoonx

[mom23guys]

Many people prefer a longer cruise in the Mediterranean since the cost of airfare is so high most people want to spend more time on the cruise. Yes you can extend your stay on land but that is usually way more expensive per day than cruising.

[swoonx]

Many people prefer a longer cruise in the Mediterranean since the cost of airfare is so high most people want to spend more time on the cruise. Yes you can extend your stay on land but that is usually way more expensive per day than cruising.

 

Yeah right, but the itineraries of August 10th and 17th are different, so why not book it as B2B :)

[Iamthesea]

I wondered if that might be a reason, but flights to Scandanavia, Russia, and South America are expensive too, and those cruise fares are at least double. I can find flights to VCE out of YYZ for under $1000, so that's not too bad.

 

Does anyone know how long these promo rates will be offered?

 

Considering that the cruise is only 7 nights, I think that a fair price. Our 11 night last May was about $2100 for a 1A veranda.

 

If you do not do back to back (which I think is a fabulous idea if you have the time) you could look at flights into Paris and see if they are less. Flying into Venice is expensive. We stayed at an apartment in Paris for 4 nights, and then took the overnight train to Venice for a longer cruise.

 

One reason might be that a lot of people don't like booking Europe in August because that's a big month for family holidays over there (lots of kids). Also very hot in August.

 

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Agree!

[Vineyardfan]

Thanks, those are good points to consider. I assumed it would be very hot, but I hadn't considered that there would be more families on board. I just had a look at the roll call for that sailing and there are indeed more children booked than I would have thought.

 

I just placed another 24 hour courtesy hold on a cabin (since my first one expired) to give me more time to think about it. In fact, the rate is so low that we may even book back-to-back trips as the ports of call are different.

 

Does anyone know how long this pricing might be in effect?

 

We're booked on the cruise the 10th, and the prices have been fluctuating a couple of hundred dollars up and down on a daily basis this past week, so there's no way of knowing how long they will last.

 

I think part of the reason these sailings have low prices is the fact that Celebrity do very few short cruises in the Med, so people in Europe haven't really caught on yet that these are available. Since americans tend to go for longer cruises I think these short ones haven't really sold that well. Lucky for us...

[Lastdance]

I would say that all of the above information is right on target. 7 days is too short for the airfare, August is very hot, and adding on to your cruise is the way to go. It is always nice to get the opinions of others on this site to open more options before deciding!:) Have a great vacation!

[Hlitner]

Agree with one of the other posts about the length of the cruise being the issue. The 7 day cruises are marketed pretty heavy in Europe (and especially the UK) at higher prices. But there is a very limited number of North Americans willing to spend the big bucks on the air for just a 7 day cruise. So using basic "yield management" the prices are adjusted to account for the supply/demand curve and ensure that X sells most of the cabins on those short cruises.

 

Hank

[stavy]

Well I just checked and the prices have gone up...It originally shows $999 but then goes higher:(

[Iamthesea]

I would say that all of the above information is right on target. 7 days is too short for the airfare, August is very hot, and adding on to your cruise is the way to go. It is always nice to get the opinions of others on this site to open more options before deciding!:) Have a great vacation!

 

DH and I took a very lovely 7 night cruise out of Barcelona in August of 2012. We added 2 nights on the front and 2 post cruise. Very enjoyable week, not too hot in that area, and 11+ days away from home was just right.. Greece could be hot!

[travelpeon]

Some travel agents also have a deal for the one week cruise at the end of August. That's the one we booked. Airfare gets a bit lower for the Friday before and (USA) Labor day is also right after the cruise. Airfare can get even lower if you can add a week on land post-cruise as the peak travel season is winding down.

 

RCCL also sails out of Venice for a one week cruise near that date and had a Children Sail Free offer recently which would probably work out to be less expensive for families. MSC also has some lower cabin fares.

 

Greece will probably be hot. That just means we'll tour early, enjoy siestas, and welcome the crew members with cold towels like they are long lost family members.

 

Why don't they lower the UK & EU fares if they really want to fill the ship? Is there greater profit to be had from North American cruisers on Pick Your Perk (esp with free alcoholic drink packages)? Lots of boozy shopping, gambling, and buy ups to premium beverages?

[Travel luv]

Please note that those cabins were pricing around 1599 a few weeks ago, so there was a reduction in price. I'm not so sure why, but it is true, airfare from the states are quite expensive.

 

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[swoonx]

Why don't they lower the UK & EU fares if they really want to fill the ship? Is there greater profit to be had from North American cruisers on Pick Your Perk (esp with free alcoholic drink packages)? Lots of boozy shopping, gambling, and buy ups to premium beverages?

 

They always have some special rates for some markets. But at the end they will reduce the rates everywhere.

 

We are flexible, so we wait for good last minute offers. And of cause flights are always very well-priced here, so it's a good way to go for us.

[mickeysgal]

Some travel agents also have a deal for the one week cruise at the end of August. That's the one we booked. Airfare gets a bit lower for the Friday before and (USA) Labor day is also right after the cruise. Airfare can get even lower if you can add a week on land post-cruise as the peak travel season is winding down.

 

RCCL also sails out of Venice for a one week cruise near that date and had a Children Sail Free offer recently which would probably work out to be less expensive for families. MSC also has some lower cabin fares.

 

Greece will probably be hot. That just means we'll tour early, enjoy siestas, and welcome the crew members with cold towels like they are long lost family members.

 

Why don't they lower the UK & EU fares if they really want to fill the ship? Is there greater profit to be had from North American cruisers on Pick Your Perk (esp with free alcoholic drink packages)? Lots of boozy shopping, gambling, and buy ups to premium beverages?

 

What kind of deal?

[mykel67]

So my courtesy hold expired and I just tried to restore it, but the fares for the August 10 and 17 itineraries have gone up by about $500 per person!

 

I snoozed and I "losed" I guess... :(

 

Congratulations to those of you who are less indecisive than I and got to take advantage of those great rates!